Show d a Looking at THE movie going public thinks of 1 Monty l Woolley as a middle- middle aged brat with a beard who has made good in a big way Although Monty who was chris chris- christened christened christened Edgar will probably deny it much of this is due primarily to the Beard himself Just now it pleases him to be besick besick besick sick and tired of the tag and threadbare jests about his hirsute adornment But B u t there was a day when Monty wel- wel J 1 3 Monty Woolley t k corned any flip re re- remark remark mark about his chin curtain as c furthering his name and fame If youre you're for- for Gracie Fields enough to catch Edgar Mon- Mon Wooley on one of his talka talka- talkative talkative talkative tive days hell he'll give you a story of the weird ups and downs that have beset him from the cradle Hell He'll tell you the way was not smooth for Woolley even before he became the bearded half hall of the Gracie Monty Fields Woolley team which is box office honey right now That combination which has just culminated culminated culminated in Molly and Me has pro pro- provided provided provided vided the Beard with a new screen personality It has sandpapered down the cutting edge of his acidulous acidulous acidulous lous screen personality to a likable old devil whose bark is louder than his bite But regardless of this his beard that beard that hated wooing wind-wooing alfalfa fa to hear him talk talk still still figures as I Ithe the most salable feature of the Wool- Wool Woolley Woolley Woolley ley personality Get Out of My Beard 1 When Woolley once told me Im Imsick Imsick Imsick sick and tired of this printed drool about my whiskers For heavens heaven's sake Hedda keep my beard out of your typewriter So far as the pub pub- public public lic lie is concerned Ive I've ceased to be an actor or even a man with any per per- Im I'm just a beard now now- and andin andin andin in the future I want no more talk of it I iU I fell for it head over heels Imagine then my surprise to find Molly and Me featuring a scene scene- one of the funniest in the pic pic- picture picture picture ture incidentally pitched entirely around Monty's chin hin wool Then I learned he he turned down a starring role in in Colonel Effing- Effing Effingham's Effingham's Effingham's hams ham's Raid because it called for fora a smooth face At the time Woolley became pro pro- professor professor professor fessor of English at Yale university university university sity that seemed a career worthy of fighting for In the suave superiority of his classroom position Monty gave deep thought to the finest nuances of the language Spoke his sentences with elegance and precision But B t the theater was strong at the back of his mind and he asked for forthe forthe forthe the post of dramatic director George Pierce Bakers Baker's appoint appoint- appointment appointment appointment ment to the post precipitated Mon Mon- Monty's Monty's Monty's tys ty's resignation Brought on a penni penni- penniless penniless penniless less and dispirited period in which Monty appealed to his friends in the theater They didn't fail him he ended this phase by directing Fifty Million Frenchmen Champagne Sec See and Jubilee Jubilee no no mean rec rec- ord But his friends in Hollywood were directing pictures at plush sala sala- ries So Monty landed in movie town That Beard Again Now the beard comes into the pic pic- picture picture picture ture once again The beard got Monty his first job in movies movies movies-a a Rus Rus- Russian Russian Russian sian impresario But Walter Connol Connol- Connolly ly ly-ajat ly a at man without a beard con beard con continued to get the parts Monty had his eye on Monty turned back to the theater for solace Was on the eye eve of re re- returning returning re- re returning turning to Broadway to direct an an- another another another other play when Moss Hart rang him asking him to play the lead role in a play called Strange Peo Pee People People pie if I remember correctly The play turned out to be The Man Who Came to Dinner It put the Beard right in the bead of the spot spot- light Hollywood didn't see him again until Warners determined to tomake tomake make the picture with Bette Davis But Bette demanded him and got him Then Century got Monty Mo ty for The Pied Piper signed him to a long out of which came a unique romantic team the team the Gracie Fields Monty Woolley combination These two invest an autumn love story with a sprig of spring Why not shouts the veteran of many bitterly fought artistic battles All things being considered a beard covers almost any facial de de- defect defect defect and in the long run makes its wearer look younger Yes and feel younger too to So there t e e To a Great Gal Fibber McGee has written a song My Molly dedicating it to his wife Molly's 1 a star wherever she goes It doesn't matter what glam glam- glamour our girls girl's in the room when room when Molly starts using her little girl voice everybody stops to listen laugh and to applaud Thomas Mitchell 1 goes right back where he belongs belongs- in the big time with Clark Gable and Greer Garson in Strange Adventure tu c. c Ray Collins plays the district attorney in Leave Her Herto Herto Herto to Heaven |